Hermione's Dagger
by Nerwen Faelvirin
Summary: An evil wizard from the past wants Hermione no matter at what cost. What does her newly aquired dagger have to do with all of it? Will Ron tell her how he feels? Please read and review. Thanx.
1. Disclaimer and Author's note

Disclaimer and Summary  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and his fellow characters.  
They all belong to J.K Rowling, her publishers and the movie  
company that makes the wonderful HP movies. I don't have any  
money so suing won't do you any good.  
  
Author's note: This is actually a re-write of Heart Hunter. After  
posting it up, I thought about it ant found that I couldn't think  
of what comes next or if I did, how to put it in to words. Thanks  
for taking the time to read this story. It's much appreciated.  
  
Summary: An evil wizard wants Hermione no matter what the cost.  
What does her newly acquired dagger have to do with all of it?  
Will Ron tell her how he feels? Please read and review. Thanks. 


	2. Prologue

Prologue  
  
She crouched down to check on the prone body of her lover. Her unbound, coppery, waist length hair fell around her like a silky curtain. Tears began to pool in her hazel eyes when she couldn't feel a pulse on his neck. She turned around to face the smirking man and said, "You killed him. You killed Roland. You murderer!"  
  
Roland's baby blue eyes stared back at her lifelessly. She would never see those beautiful eyes sparkle with mischief and love. His body felt ice cold and his skin were blue. Blood caked his scalp and his body was battered from the duel. She closed his eyes for him and kissed his forehead one last time before standing up and facing Roland's murderer.  
  
"You're evil Seth Kane," she said.  
  
"He was in the way. I told you that no one can come between me and what I want," he sneered. "Now you're all mine Marianne Le Fay," he continued, smiling evilly at her the young woman. His jet-black hair dancing around his face as the wind picked up speed and his jet black eyes looked at her hungrily.  
  
Marianne furiously wiped away her tears and grasped her wand tightly in her right hand and scowled at him. "Never Seth, never. You sacrificed your family in a blood magick ceremony to obtain more power. I'll never be with you!" she shouted at him, raising her wand and pointing it at his chest.  
  
Seth barked with laughter and said, "Your puny stick won't do you any good."  
  
"We'll see about that," Marianne answered. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" a green light shot out of the wand towards Seth. Marianne gasped as the spell was deflected by a lazy wave of his hand. When she snapped his fingers, her wand flew to his hand and he turned it to ash.  
  
"Come my sweet. Come to me," Seth said, smiling widely, crooking his finger towards her. With a flick of his wrist, a horrified Marianne found herself flying into his arms. He wrapped his left arm around her waist tightly to prevent her form escaping. "Now I have you Marianne," he said softly, trailing right his index finger along the side of her face.  
  
"That's what you think, she whispered. Unsheathing the ceremonial dagger that was strapped to her thigh, she gripped it tightly and slashed his jaw line. Seth screamed in pain and released Marianne from his arms. Marianne stumbled back but regained her balance. She stood up and face Seth.  
  
"I'll never be with you Seth! NEVER!" she screamed and plunged her dagger into her heart.  
  
"NO!!" he screamed, running to her crumpled body. He tried to pull the dagger out of her chest but the pommel felt like it burned his hands. "You WILL be mine Marianne! Even if it takes forever!" he swore. Hearing the shouts of the villagers coming nearer, Seth spared one last look at the woman he desired and ran. 


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Friends and Catching up  
  
The cold woke her up. She blinked into the darkness, letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light. She tried to get up but found that her hands and legs were chained spread-eagle on a slab of marble. She was lying naked and goose bumps were forming all over her exposed skin.  
  
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Where am I?" she thought. She tried to cry for help but a foul rag was stuffed in her mouth. She looked around and saw that she was in the middle of the woods. The night sky was starless, save for the light of the full moon. The forest was deathly quiet, no crickets chirping, no sounds of nocturnal animals, nothing. Just silence.  
  
She was startled by the sound of a snapping twig to her left. She turned and saw a man in a black robe walking towards her. He looked familiar, like the hitchhiker that she had picked up on the way back home. I should have listened to my mother about hitchhikers, she thought, mentally pounding her head on the marble table.  
  
His hair was stark white in the dark and his face was lined with deep wrinkles. The scar along his jaw line was pale in the moonlight. He stood next to her, his jet black eyes blazing with a kind of hunger that made her insides cold.  
  
Raking his eyes over her naked body, he removed her gag and said, "Such a beautiful body you have, just like my lovely Marianne." He trailed his wrinkled finger over her breasts and squeezed them hard.  
  
"Please. Please let me go!" she pleaded, tears streaming to her temples.  
  
"I can't do that my sweet. I have plans for you," he grinned insanely, taking a small knife from his robes, the silver blade glinting in the moonlight. He trailed the tip of the knife along the side of her ribs, drawing blood. He laughed at her whimpering and pleading.  
  
"You can scream all you want, no one's going to hear you. In fact, I would prefer it if you did, it'll just make the magick stronger."  
  
He used the knife with savage glee and precision. He knew exactly where to cut to draw the maximum amount of pain and blood without killing her instantly. He revelled in her blood and screams, chanting in a guttural language. With each phrase and every fading heartbeat of the girl, he felt the magick building and gathering. With the last word, the magick rushed through him, spreading through out his entire body. He was enveloped in a blood red bubble, rejuvenating him, increasing his own personal power. The blood red bubble disappeared, revealing a man in his mid-twenties, his jet black hair framing his boyish face. He looked down at his hands and smiled in satisfaction. The scar on his jaw line was less pale and noticeable.  
  
He threw a contemptuous look at the dead girl on the sacrificial altar and smirked. He raised his palm towards the dead body and a red light shot out, engulfing the body in fire, turning it to ash. He turned and walked out of the woods, leaving the ashes to be scattered by the wind.  
  
~ * ~  
  
The incessant ringing of the doorbell woke Hermione up. She rolled to her side and covered her ears with her pillow to drown out the sound and failed. Kicking the covers aside roughly, she stomped to her front door and wrenched it open, ready to bite the person's head off.  
  
"What!" she shouted at the two surprised men standing at her door.  
  
"Umm..... Hermione it's us," said the taller of the two, his voice sounded afraid.  
  
Hermione pushed her messy hair from her face and found herself staring at her two best friends, who were staring back at her with twin looks of shock and fear.  
  
"Oh. Ermm .... Come in," Hermione said, her ears turning pink. She looked down at herself and just realised that her two best friends had seen her in her big nightshirt and messy bed hair. Closing the front door after them, she ran back to her bedroom to get her robe. When she got back out, she found that her best friends had made themselves home in her kitchen. Ron was putting something into the toaster oven while Harry was fiddling with her coffee maker.  
  
"What are you guys doing here in so early in the morning?" she asked, looking very confused.  
  
"Firstly, it's ten in the morning so it's not that early. Secondly, you were supposed to meet us an hour ago," Harry said, once he got the coffee maker going.  
  
"That's right! We're supposed to go to Diagon Alley today," Hermione, slapping her palm to her forehead. "I'm so sorry guys. I came back really late last night and I must have overslept." She sniffed the aroma coming form the toaster oven and asked, "Is that garlic bagel I smell?"  
  
"Yup! We figured you must have overslept and we brought you breakfast. If you don't wash up soon, we'll start without you," Ron said, smiling as Hermione rushed back to her bedroom.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Hermione came back into the kitchen looking fresh and happy. Ron looked up and smiled at her, causing her heart to skip a bit. When did he get so handsome? Wait a minute; he's my best friend! I'm not supposed to think about him that way, she thought. Hermione sat in front of Ron and smiled at him before taking a sip of coffee that was placed in front of her.  
  
Ron felt his mouth go dry when he saw Hermione step into the kitchen. She was dressed in a pink turtleneck and a black pair of jeans that hugged her figure beautifully. Her bronze highlighted hair fell in shiny waves past her shoulders and bounced with each step she took. She's beautiful, Ron thought, imagining what her body would look like underneath all that clothes. Snap out of it! She's your best friend! Best friends don't think about each other like that, he thought, panicking slightly. Afraid that either Harry or Hermione would figure out what he was thinking, he took a big gulp of coffee and stared into his mug.  
  
Harry placed a plate of bagels and a tub of cream cheese on the table and took the seat on Ron's right. "Why were you back so late last night?" Harry asked as he spread cream cheese over half of his bagel. Hermione explained that the previous day was her last day as a TA at London University of Witchcraft and she had to clear her office. She didn't realise that she had so much stuff till she started to pack.  
  
"You could have gotten both of us to help you pack," Harry chided, Ron nodding beside him.  
  
"I didn't want to bother either of you as both of you have your own packing to do. I still can't believe that McGonagall offered all three of us teaching positions back in Hogwarts!" she exclaimed. All three of them had received owls from Professor McGonagall who had taken up Dumbledore's position as Headmistress after he retired three years ago.  
  
"Neither can I. I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts. It feels like going home," Harry said.  
  
"Do you know what subjects we'll be teaching?" Ron asked as he rolled his coffee mg in his hands.  
  
"I guess we'll only find out when we reach there," Hermione shrugged.  
  
They quickly finished the bagels and cleaned up the plates and coffee mugs. As Hermione went back to her bedroom to gather her wand and her handbag, Ron and Harry went to the living room to wait for her. The living room was very Hermione. There were bookshelves against every wall, filled with all kinds of books and magazines. There were pictures of her family and friends everywhere. The one that caught Ron's eye was the picture on the mantelpiece. It was the one taken during their graduation five years ago.  
  
In the picture, the three of them were waving, laughing, joking and pushing each other. At eighteen, both Ron and Harry were tall and gangly. Five years later, they were still tall but they were lean and muscular. Both Harry and Ron had played Quidditch in university. When they entered Auror training, they had built up more muscles and had kept in shape during the one year they had worked as Aurors.  
  
Looking back at the picture, Ron realised that Hermione had changed a lot too. Even though she was still a head shorter than both of them, she had grown up. Her bushy hair had transformed into curls and her body had blossomed.  
  
"She's beautiful isn't she?" Harry said quietly.  
  
"Who?" Ron asked, feigning ignorance.  
  
"You know who I'm talking about. You like here. You always have."  
  
Ron was saved from replying Harry's statement when Hermione came out of her room and told them she was ready. They apparated to the alley near the Leaky Cauldron and went into Diagon Alley. The street was crowded with people; parents with school going kids buying school items and people buying miscellaneous items like robes and Quidditch supplies. They went to the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to catch up with the Twins since neither Harry nor Hermione had seen them the past few months.  
  
The Twins' shop was situated at the end of Diagon Alley. The shop looked tiny from the outside but it was spacious on the inside. It was two levels of nothing but joke items and gags. They Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had been such a success that it had gone international with shops through out Europe and the States.  
  
Harry pushed open the door and a foghorn boomed from the back of the shop. They three of them stepped into the well lit shop and looked around for a familiar mop of red hair.  
  
"Harry mate! Haven't seen you in ages! You too Hermione," George called out from the second floor. " Hey Fred, looks who's here."  
  
Fred poked his head out of the storeroom and his face broke out into a grin. "My favourite group of people. Welcome, here have some," Fred said, shoving a basket of sweets at them.  
  
"No way am I trying that. The last time you gave me some gum, I couldn't stop giggling. My date thought that I was making fun of her and she left after meeting me for five minutes," Harry said, shoving the basket back to them.  
  
They Twin's laughed and brought them to a large sitting room in the storeroom at the back. They sat down and caught up with what they had been doing the past few months. Harry and Hermione found out that George and Alicia was expecting their fourth child and Angelina was due to give birth any day.  
  
After all the congratulations were made, Hermione asked, "Has Ginny returned from her honeymoon yet?"  
  
"Yeah, she came back last week. I still can't believe she married Malfoy," Ron said sulkily. "She hexed me when I was warning that Ferret about breaking her heart. Didn't she know I was just looking out for her?"  
  
"That Ferret's my husband and you were trying to pound him into a bloody pulp a week before the wedding. I didn't want anything to happen to that gorgeous face of his," said a husky voice from the door of the sitting room.  
  
They turned and saw Ginny leaning against the doorjamb with Draco's arms around her waist. "Ginny!" they cried as one.  
  
Ginny walked into the room with her fingers laced through Draco's. She gave all of them a hug, making Draco growl when she hugged Harry, who smirked in return. Draco shook hands with his brothers-in-law and managed a grudging one with Harry. When he gave Hermione a big hug and a kiss, Ron frowned and growled but fortunately on Harry heard him  
  
Much to everyone's delight, Ginny had brought four large boxes of pizza. They gathered around the coffee table eating the pizza and talked about Ginny's honeymoon in Hawaii. They had gone for the honeymoon as Muggle tourist, going to all the sites and beaches. They even met a local wizard how acted as their tour guide who brought them to all the magical places of the islands. Ginny had not brought the photos from her honeymoon, as she didn't expect to meet Harry and Hermione at her brothers' shop. Ginny was totally excited and happy for the trio when she found out that they had received owls from McGonagall about the teaching positions.  
  
The pizzas were eaten in record time and they sat around the empty pizza boxes, talking about their old school days and laughing at the pranks that the Twins had pulled on Filch. Hermione looked at her watch and realised that it was nearly two and they still had not gotten their items from Diagon Alley. They bade the twins and the newlyweds goodbye and left to get their stuff.  
  
As usual, Hermione managed to drag the two men to Flourish & Blotts to collect some books that she had ordered a few weeks back. They finally managed to drag Hermione out of the shop before she bought every book on the shelf. Even then, they had to help her carry two rather large bags of books, quills and parchments.  
  
Their next stop was of course, the Quidditch supply shop. Harry needed to restock his broom servicing kit that Hermione had gave him on his fifteenth birthday. He was running out of polishing wax for his broom. Ron had gotten a few Quidditch magazines that caught his interest. They left the shop with a few more large bags of items and their wallets feeling a lot lighter.  
  
As they sat on the bench by the Quidditch shop to decide where to go next, Ron saw a new shop that had just opened. The shop sold various knick-knacks and other miscellaneous items.  
  
"How about we go to that shop? I think it's new," Ron said, pointing to a white painted shop next to Madam Malkin's.  
  
"It seems interesting. Let's go," Harry said, picking up all of Hermione's bags while Ron pulled Hermione to her tired feet.  
  
They opened the door to the shop and a bell rang at the back of the room. The shop was dimly lit and cluttered with all sorts of things like antique furniture, mirrors and pillboxes that were arranged in no apparent order. As they were looking at the large collection of pillboxes, an old lady suddenly appeared beside them and said, "Can I help you dearies?"  
  
They nearly shot out of their skins but they calmed down as the old lady smiled at them kindly. "It's alright ma'am. We're just looking around. You have a very nice shop here," Harry said.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Harry signalled to Hermione that he and Ron were going to wait for her outside. Hermione looked around and as she was about to turn away from a large mirror, she saw a dagger in a glass case behind her. She turned around and took a closer look at the display case. On the velvet lining of the display case, laid a silver dagger, its blade was curved like a slithering snake. The handle had leather strips wound around it for better grip. On the pommel of the dagger was engraved with a figure of a cobra that was ready to attack with two swords crossed in the background. Along with the dagger was sheath that was made from strong leather. Even on the sheath, the figure of a cobra and two swords were embossed on it. Hermione felt like she had seen it before.  
  
"Does that interest you deary?" the kind looking old woman asked.  
  
"Yes... I mean no.... I mean I don't know. I feel like I've seen it before. Do you mind if I touch it?" she asked.  
  
"Of course not," the old woman said, unlocking the display case and passing the dagger to Hermione, pommel first. Hermione held it in her right hand before transferring it to her left. The weight and the feel of the dagger felt familiar, yet foreign to her. When she closed her eyes, she felt like she was in a different time and a different person.  
  
"It's and old piece but I'm not sure how old. It's strong with old magicks. You're the first person to ever notice it on display. I think it was meant for you," the old lady said.  
  
"I think so too," Hermione said softly. "May I know how much it is? I would like to buy it but I don't know if my budget will permit it."  
  
"It's only 7 galleons," she said.  
  
After much consideration, Hermione nodded to the old lady and followed her to the cash register to pay for the dagger. Once the transaction was completed, Hermione went in search for Ron and Harry. She found both of them were having a heated discussion on the latest Quidditch match outside the shop.  
  
"Ok, I'm done. Lets go," she said, showing them the paper bag.  
  
"What did you get in there? We've been waiting for you for 15 minutes," Ron said.  
  
"I saw this very unique dagger. Let me show you." She sat down at the nearest bench and waited for Ron and Harry to sit on either side of her. Once they've seated themselves, she took the wooden box out of the bag and opened it, showing them the dagger. "I didn't know why but I had to have it, like it was meant for me. I know it sounds strange but that's how I feel," she said softly.  
  
"It's alright Hermione, it's a really nice dagger. I'm hungry, lets go for something to eat," Ron said, smiling widely at her.  
  
"You're always hungry Ron," Harry said, laughing at him.  
  
They got up and picked up all their purchases, before making their way to the Leaky Cauldron for tea. 


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Back to school  
  
A/N : Finally, another chapter update. Snappish79, this is for you.  
  
'Thinking'  
  
"Talking"  
  
On the morning of September 1st, Hermione woke up bright an early, as the sun rose. Her bedroom window was open, letting the cool morning breeze play with her gauzy white curtains. She rolled over onto her side and stared at the picture on her bedside table. It was a picture of her, Ron and Harry, taken at the reception after George's wedding. Hermione was standing between Ron and Harry, their arms around her waist. It had always been the three of them all through out school. Now, they were going back to Hogwarts, just like old times. The only difference was that they were going back as teachers instead of students. Taking one last look at the photo, Hermione rolled out of bed and went straight o the bathroom for a shower.  
  
After a nice long shower and a hearty breakfast, Hermione made a last minute check of all the items that she was bringing to Hogwarts.  
  
'Packed trunk, check. Wand, check. Dagger, che-'  
  
She flew into a panic when she realised that she couldn't find her dagger. She was about to tear her apartment apart to look for it when she remembered that she had placed it under her pillow the night before. Rushing back into the bedroom and tossing aside her pillow, Hermione sighed with relief when the dagger was where she had left it. Hiking her skirt up, she strapped the dagger and it's sheath to her right thigh. Since she had gotten it at Diagon Alley two weeks ago, Hermione had been unable to be with out it for long periods of time so she had taken to strapping it to her person during the day and placing it under her pillow when she slept at night. She didn't know why having the dagger nearby made her feel calm and safe. She decided to some research on the dagger as soon as she could once she was back in Hogwarts.  
  
After securing th dagger to her thigh, Hermione went back to the kitchen to finish her coffee while waiting for Harry and Ron to come over. Ginny was driving the three of them to the station. Se was well into her third cup of coffee and halfway through the Daily Prophet when the doorbell rang. Harry, Ron and Ginny helped themselves to the coffee in the kitchen while Hermione did a final check on all of her items. Once everything was set, Hermione gathered he aging Crookshanks and placed him into his carrier. The bow- legged cat gave a half-hearted fight upon being placed into the cage but promptly fell asleep once he settled in. Ron and Harry helped carry Hermione's trunk tot he car while Ginny carried Crookshanks as Hermione locked up the apartment. The trunk was placed into the boot of the car that was charmed to accommodate even the largest item. Harry sat upfront with Ginny while Ron and Hermione sat at the back with Crookshanks on Hermione's lap.  
  
The ride to the train station was quiet and uneventful. They arrived at the platform at half past ten, giving them ample time to place their luggage and find a compartment to sit in. The platform was already filled with students and parents. The first years were huddled against heir parents while the older students wet in search for their friends.  
  
"It feels just like yesterday that I was in first year and it was MY first time being n the platform," Harry sighed, as he and Ron placed their luggage in the luggage compartments.  
  
"Yeah, mate. Time sure does fly. Let's go get a seat," Ron said, brushing the dirt from his hands.  
  
Ginny accompanied them onto the train and sat with them for a while in their compartment, talking about the good old days when they were all in school together.  
  
"I wish I was going with you. It would be just like old times," Ginny said. "Hogwarts wasn't the same after the three of you graduated."  
  
"If you came with us, St. Mungo's would be without one of their top healers. We couldn't do that to the public," Hermione replied. "Come on up and visit us when you're free. We'll go down to Hogsmeade for a drink or two."  
  
"Yeah, bring the Ferret with you too," Ron said, earning a playful slap from Ginny.  
  
After talking for a few more minutes, Ginny gave all of them a big hug and promised to visit whenever she could. Kissing them on the cheek one last time, she left. Not five minutes later, there was a knock on the compartment door and it opened to reveal a stunningly beautiful, tall young woman. Her long black hair was left unbound and it fell past her shoulders in wavy curls. Her skin was like smooth, creamy chocolate and her eyes were hazel with flecks of gold. Dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, she looked like one of the students.  
  
"Hi! I'm Dhyana Kensington. Do you mind if I sit with you? The rest f the compartment were full," she asked, her voice like smooth velvet.  
  
"Sure. Come on in," Hermione beckoned. She shifted to her left to make room for the newcomer. "I'm Hermione Granger and these are my friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." Just noticing that both men had dropped their jaw when Dhyana stepped in, Hermione leaned forward and gently closed their jaws for them. Turning back to Dhyana, Hermione said, "I'm sorry. These two usually have more manners than this. Are you a new student?"  
  
Dhyana laughed and answered, "No, I'm actually a new teacher. I received a job offer from Professor McGonagall a few weeks back. I decided I needed a change of scenery so I accepted the offer."  
  
"What a coincidence! All three of us are new teachers too. You're not from Hogwarts are you because I've never seen you around," Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"I'm actually from England but my parents and I moved to Salem when I was five. After finishing my degree back in Salem, I decided hat I needed a change of scenery so I jumped at the chance to come back to England when the Hogwarts letter arrived."  
  
The more they talked, both Hermione and Dhyana found they had a lot of things in common. Both girls from Muggle families who love books. Before they know it, they had arrived at Hogsmeade. The four new teachers put on their coats and alighted, joining the throng of excited students. As they made their way to the carriages, Harry heard a familiar booming voice that was calling for the first years to follow him. They only managed to exchange hellos with Hagrid before he had to usher the first years across the river. The four of them then boarded the 'horseless' carriage and made their way to the school.  
  
They were met by the Headmistress at the entrance of the school and was asked to follow her back to her office. They were each given a file that contained the syllabus and the timetables for the classes that they would teach and briefed them on their duties and heir responsibilities as teachers. The front of the file had the name of the subject they were to teach. Hermione was teaching Transfiguration while Harry took the fourth year onwards for Defense Against the Dark Arts and flying classes for Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Ron was taking the first to third years for DADA and flying classes for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. The both of them were also to take turns to referee the Quidditch matches. Dhyana was taking over from Hagrid for Care for Magical Creatures.  
  
"Now that you you've been briefed about your classes, lets go down to the Great Hall for the Sorting and the Feast," McGonagall said, leading the way to the Hall.  
  
The noise level in the Hall dropped the moment the Headmistress and the four new staff members entered. They took their places at the Head table, the four of them sitting to the Headmistress' left. Professor Snape who was on the other side of the table, threw them a contemptuous look after failing once again to obtain the position as DADA professor. The Sorting Hat was brought in and the Sorting went by quickly which was followed by the Feast.  
  
Once the tables were cleared, Headmistress McGonagall stood up to make the yearly announcements.  
  
"As usual, the Forbidden Forest is as its name says, FORBIDDEN! No magic in the halls and corridors and the list of forbidden items can be obtained from Mr Filch. Now that's done, let me introduce the four new teachers who will be joining us. They are Professor Granger and Professor Kensington who will be taking you for Transfiguration and Care or Magical Creatures, respectively. Professor Potter and Professor Weasley will both be taking you for Defense the Dark Arts and Flying lessons. Let's welcome them to Hogwarts," the Headmistress announced.  
  
After the round of applause died down, the students were sent back to their common rooms with their respective house prefects. Turning to the new teachers, Professor McGonagall told them that a guide would show them to their quarters. The guide turned out to be Dobby, who instantly latched himself to Harry's leg. After managing to pry his bony little fingers from Harry's thigh, Dobby led them to a tower near the library and the classrooms. Dhyana and Harry's rooms were on the first floor while Hermione and Ron had their rooms on the second floor.  
  
After bidding the rest of the goodnight, Hermione entered the room that would be her home for the next year. She found herself in a spacious living room that had a plush couches, bookshelves and an L shaped work station at one of the corners of the room. Crookshanks was curled up in front of the fire sleeping quietly. She went into the bedroom and found a king size canopy bed with covers that were in her favourite shades of blue. She smiled as she trailed her fingers over the covers of the bed. She stepped into the bathroom and gasped at the largeness of it. There was a bathtub the size of a small swimming pool in the middle of the bathroom. To the right of it was a shower stall with a frosted glass door. The floor and the sink of the bathroom were made of black marble that was charmed to feel cold on hot days and warm on cold days. She loved the bathroom, especially the many taps of scented, foamy water of the bathtub. After playing with the taps for fifteen minutes, Hermione decided to take a quick shower before going to bed, leaving the unpacking for the next day. Taking her toiletries and her towel from her trunk at the foot of her bed, she hummed all the way to the shower, feeling happy that she was back at Hogwarts.  
  
After a nice warm shower and dressed in her favourite pyjamas, Hermione climbed into bed and brought the covers up to her chin. Rolling over to her left side, she instantly fell asleep.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
She was walking through the village with a basket full of flowers that she had picked from the meadow. Granny would be pleased to have fresh flowers on the table tonight. She waved to the shopkeepers as she passed the inn and the blacksmith. She laughed when she saw the children of the village chase after a lamb. As she passed the village well, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stood and her cat Jake, who was asleep, woke up instantly. Turning around slowly, she saw Seth Kane, staring at her. His jet-black eyes were looking at her hungrily, like he was undressing her mentally, making her uneasy feeling increase ten-fold. There was something about the black haired young man that always made her feel uneasy.  
  
Jake jumped from her arms and hissed menacingly at Seth, his paws clawing the air. Gathering the cat back into her arms and petting it slowly to calm it down, she said, "What are you staring at Seth? Didn't your mother teach you that it's rude to stare?"  
  
"I can't help it Marianne. You're just so pretty. Besides, my mother's dead," he said with a smirk as he walked towards her. Standing in front of her, he raised his hand and caressed her face with his thumb. "You're so beautiful," he murmured.  
  
Slapping his fingers away, she backed away from him and spat, "Don't you dare touch me again!" She turned and walked away quickly, holding her cat closely.  
  
Smiling evilly he said to himself, "You're mine Marianne. You just don't know it yet."  
  
~ * ~  
  
A clap of thunder that signalled the start of a storm jerked Hermione out of her sleep. Getting up to close the windows of her bedroom, Hermione climbed back into bed and went back to sleep, not remembering her dream.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
In London, the storm was going at full force. The wind was howling and the rain pelted against the glass pane of the drawing room as Seth sat in front of the fire, nursing a glass of brandy in one hand. At the same time a thunder clap woke Hermione up from her dream, a similar one rang out in London. Seth sat up straight and smiled ferally. Laughing maniacally, he threw the glass of brand to the fire and watch the glass shatter and the alcohol feed the fire into a small explosion.  
  
"Finally, after 300 years I've found you. You WILL be mine Marianne," he said to the empty room. Standing up, he walked to the door and snapped his fingers, extinguishing the fire instantly. He had plotting to be done. 


	5. Chapter 3

_A/N:__ Another update, finally. I've had this chapter in my notebook for a few weeks now but I haven't had enough time to type it till quite recently. I hope that you'll like this chapter. Thanks for reading!___

**Chapter 3******

A week after the start of term, late Saturday night, Ron was on the way to the kitchen to get some midnight snack when he heard screaming coming from Hermione's rooms. After knocking a few times and not receiving any answers from inside the room, Ron started to panic and started to bang his shoulders against the door. After a few hard knocks, the door splintered apart and Ron rushed to Hermione's bedroom, wand out, ready to hurl hexes.

In the bedroom, Hermione was thrashing on her bed screaming at the top of her lungs. Her covers were around her feet and her arms were flailing around. Keeping his wand back into his pocket, Ron was relieved that she was only having a very bad nightmare. Shaking her shoulders gently, Ron tried to wake her.

"Hermione, Hermione! Wake up!"

Hermione gasped and opened her eyes to dark auburn hair and a pair of vivid blue eyes. She sat up and tried to calm her ragged breathing and her racing heartbeat. Her hair clung to her sweat-drenched face and her skin was pale. Her pupils were dilated and her hands were clammy. Ron sat next to her and rubbed her back to calm her down. After she managed to calm down enough to think coherently, she turned to Ron and asked, "What are you doing in my room?"

"I was on my way down to the kitchens to get snack when I heard you screaming so I tried to open the door but it was locked. I kind of broke through you door," Ron said, looking slightly sheepish.

"It's alright, I'll fix it later," she said, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for waking me up because that was a very bad nightmare."

"Why don't you come down to the kitchen with me? We'll drink some cocoa, eat some cookies and you can tell me all about this scary nightmare. It won't be so scary once you share it."

Hermione saw Ron's puppy dog eyes and she gave in. She grabbed her wand and a robe before following Ron out of her quarters. She saw the splintered remains of her door and shook her head.

"What did you use to break through my door?" she asked totally amazed as she inspected what's left of the door that was hanging by its hinges.

"My shoulder, I totally forgot I that I could use my wand to open the door, so I rammed my shoulder against it," he said, turning very red, hanging his head low.

Heroine shook her head and chuckled softly. With a wave of her wand, she repaired her door and made her way down to the kitchen with Ron. "It's alright Ron. See? It's all fixed. Now, let's go down to the kitchen."

It seemed like they weren't the only ones who wanted a midnight snack. Harry and Dhyana were already seated at the table with a mug of cocoa each and a plate of cookies. Harry explained to the newcomers that he bumped into Dhyana on the way to the kitchen so they sat down together. Once they all had a mug of cocoa each, Ron told Harry and Dhyana about how he broke the door of Hermione's quarters when he heard her screaming. With a little persuasion, Hermione told them about the nightmare she had in as much detail as she could remember.

"A woman was chained to an altar and a man, I think, dressed in a robe was standing above her. He stabbed her repeatedly, while he chanted some strange language. He raised his hands in the air and was surrounded by a blood red light. That's when Ron woke me up," Hermione said softly, shuddering at the memory. "I couldn't stop the person from hurting that woman. I wanted to help the poor woman so badly but I couldn't move."

"That was awful! No wonder you were screaming, " said Dhyana.

"It's just dream. Relax and don't think about it," Harry said, patting her hand gently.

"Yeah! Besides, if you have another dream, I could come and wake you up again," Ron said, smiling at her.

"Just as long as you don't break it into pieces like you did just now," Hermione said jokingly, causing everyone to laugh.

After finishing their cocoa and cookies, they went back to their respective quarters; Harry and Dhyana walking together back to their floor and Ron and Hermione walking back to theirs. At Hermione's door, she turned and faced Ron. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek, shocking him speechless momentarily.

"What was that for?" he asked, touching his cheek with his fingertips.

"Thank you for waking me up from that terrible nightmare. I hope that I don't have that dream again."

"No problem. That's what friends are for. Now go on in and have a good sleep the rest of the night."

"Ok. G'night Ron."

"G'night 'Mione." He watched her close the door. Once he heard her lock click, he turned and walked back to his rooms, still touching the cheek that she kissed.

Weeks went by and Hermione totally forgot about the nightmare. Halloween came and for the first time in Hogwarts' history, Headmistress McGonagall had authorised a Muggle horror movie marathon and Hermione and Harry were in-charge of the event. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was dressed in a t-shirt from one of her favourite bands, Helloween, and a pair of black jeans in the spirit of the day. She tied up her hair and grabbed her wand before making sure that all her windows were closed. After checking, she made her way to the Great Hall.

It was the perfect night for a horror movie marathon. A terrible storm had rolled in just as the sun set. The rain was pouring by the barrels and the thunder was deafening. Lightning would periodically spear the sky and only a few torches along the corridors were lit, giving the castle a very spooky air. When Hermione arrived at the Hall, Harry had gotten the screen and the projector up and was setting up the sound system. All the equipment was charmed to run on magic instead of electricity. The rest of the teachers, even the potions master, were helping to conjure cushions to scatter through out the carpeted Hall. The house elves had set up a drinks station on either side of the Hall and popcorn was available by the buckets.

At the back of the Hall, sofas, armchairs and beanbags were set up for the staff and guest. After making the last minute checks, the Hall doors were opened and the students rushed in to get the best seats. Professor McGonagall entered, accompanied by Professor Dumbledore who was invited to the event.  Once both professors were seated and all the students had settled down, Hermione stood up and welcomed them to the first Hogwarts movie marathon. The lights were dimmed and the first movie was started.

Hermione, Dhyana and Harry settled back into their beanbags as they waited for Ron to return with snacks and drinks. A few minutes later, he came back with a huge container of popcorn and a drink cooler. He settled himself beside Hermione and passed the popcorn and rinks to the other three.  As the three movies played on, Hermione unconsciously inched towards Ron and buried her face in his chest when she was shocked by the sudden appearance of the monster or ghoul. Ron patted her shoulder awkwardly as he battled the feeling of rightness of having Hermione in his arms. He couldn't stop thinking about her since she kissed him many weeks ago. He started to notice everything about her, like how her eyes would light up when she talked about her students, or how beautiful she looked when the sunlight hit her hair when she sat by the lake to read or even how cute the two dimples on her cheek look when she smiled. He just realised how good she smelled, like jasmine.

Hermione raised her head from his chest to apologise for using his chest to hide her face and found herself staring into Ron's beautiful, vivid blue eyes. The look in his eyes made her heart race and heat pool n her tummy. She saw him bring his lips down towards hers and the only thoughts that were racing through her mind were, _Oh Merlin he's going to kiss me. I wonder how his lips are going to taste like_.

Ron's lips were just an inch away from hers when the moment was interrupted by a scream followed by a popcorn shower and laughter. Both Hermione and Ron looked away, embarrassed at what they were about to do and they sat slightly apart. Hermione turned to her left and saw Dhyana hitting Harry, who was rolling on the floor with laughter, with a cushion. She found out that Harry had jabbed Dhyana in the waist during the scary scene where the dead spooky girl was crawling out of the TV, causing her to scream and toss the entire contents of the popcorn container into the air. Shaking her head at both of them, she leaned back away from Ron and watched the rest of the movie.

~ * ~

In London, Seth Kane was inspecting his face in the mirror, taking note of every wrinkle and grey hair that was starting to appear slowly each day. It had been almost eight weeks after his last sacrifice and the magic that was sustaining his youth was fading. As the last sacrifice was a Muggle girl, the amount of magick that he raised was not as much as he could have it had been a witch. Fortunately, he already had a witch tied to the altar, ready for the ritual.

"I need to look my best when I meet Marianne. I can't make her fall in love with me when I look like a wrinkly old man. She might think that I'm a pervert," he said to no one in particular. 

Taking a last look at his reflection, he turned and moved into his bedroom to change into his ritual robes. He retrieved his ritual dagger from its box and admired its serrated edge. He loved the way it sliced through skin and muscle, causing it to bleed very badly while the victim experienced every bit of pain without passing out. Putting his cowl over his head, he made his way to the altar and was pleased to fine the woman already awake.

She wasn't very pretty but then, beauty want important. What was important was the amount of magick he could raise with her suffering and death. The more she suffered, the more she screamed, the more magick he could raise. Also, as she was a witch, the amount of magick produced in the ritual would be five times as much as he would get if he sacrificed a Muggle. 

He was bubbling with anticipation and excitement as he watched the girl struggle against her bonds. He could smell her fear and he smiled widely at her, causing her to fight against the chains even more. Seth took the dagger from his robes and removed the girl's gag. He raised the dagger and started chanting as he made his first cut on her skin, beginning the ritual.

~ * ~

At the same moment back in Hogwarts, Hermione was helping to clear up the Great Hall after the last movie, gasped and collapsed, rubbing her temples. The last thing she saw was Ron's worried face looking down at her, before everything went black and she was overcame by the vision.

_A/N 2: Helloween is really a band. One of my favourite metal bands from __Germany__. They're really good and their mascot is a smiling pumpkin. I watched both versions of The Ring, the __Hollywood__ and the Japanese version. As I live in __Asia__, I saw the Japanese version first. I found the Japanese __version a lot more scary than the __Hollywood__. If you don't mind movies with subtitles, you to see the Japanese version. It's one of the scariest movies I've ever seen, scared me for a whole week. Anyway, I hope to update again soon. Please read and review this story. Tell me what you think. Thanks!___


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hermione tried to open her eyes but the blinding light intensified her headache. She could hear voices talking softly and recognised them to be Harry, Ron and Dhyana. Raising her hand to shield her eyes from the light, she said in a hoarse whisper, "Can someone turn down the light or something? It's hurting my eyes."

Dhyana quickly got up and closed the curtains while Harry went to get Madam Pomfrey. Ron in the other hand helped Hermione to sit up and got her a glass of water to quench her parched throat. As Hermione was sipping her drink, Harry came back with Madam Pomfrey on tow. She shooed everyone away and pulled the curtain around the bed. 

Outside the curtain, Harry and Ron looked tired and pale as the both of them rarely left Hermione's bedside since she collapsed in the Hall at Halloween. Madam Pomfrey had tried to throw them out but the crept back in every time so she just let them stayed there. Dhyana would join them in the day and keep them company. Just then, the partition was pushed back and Madam Pomfrey turned to them and said, "She's still a bit weak but generally alright. I'm keeping her here for a few days for observation." She then went back into her office and did not return.

"How are you feeling Hermione?" Ron asked.

"The headache's gone but I don't understand why I'm in the infirmary?"

"You collapsed in the Great Hall on Halloween," Ron began telling her about the incident.

~ * ~ 

_"Hermione! Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, trying to get the convulsing girl to open her eyes. All of a sudden, she started thrashing about, limbs going in every direction. One of her fists managed to hit Ron's face, breaking his nose and giving him a black eye. Both Harry and Ron tried to hold down her limbs, as she started screaming, "No! Not again! Stop it, stop it! You're hurting her! Oh Gods, NO!"_

_Harry and Ron had ever seen Hermione so upset and agitated before; and their worry was etched on their faces. A cushion was transfigured into a stretcher and Harry placed her into it and floated her up to the infirmary. Ron had reluctantly placed Hermione in a body bind to prevent her from hitting anyone else on the way up to the infirmary._

_When they reached the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey was already waiting and directed them to put her on the bed. She quickly closed the curtains around the bed and did a check up. Fifteen minutes later, she pushed the curtains back, looking very grave._

_"How is she?" Ron asked anxiously._

_"Let me heal that nose before I tell you about her condition. I don't want you bleeding all over my clean floor," Madam Pomfrey said, pushing Ron into a chair. After fixing his broken nose and giving him a bag of ice to place on his swollen eye, she turned to the Headmistress and said, "She's unconscious and I can't seem to enervate her. From my examination, I gathered that she was over come by a vision, a very bad one at that. I also found that she's protected by old magic from her dagger."_

_"Hermione carries a dagger around?" Harry asked._

_"It appears so. It was strapped to her ankle."_

_"May I see this dagger?" Professor Dumbledore asked. _

_Madam Pomfrey picked up the dagger from the bedside table and showed it to the former headmaster. Professor Dumbledore inspected the dagger closely and said, "Interesting. Very interesting."_

_"What's interesting?" Harry asked, feeling an odd sense of de javu. _

_"This dagger holds very strong old magics," Dumbledore said, placing the dagger back onto the side table. "I have some things to look into. Please inform me when she wakes up," he continued before leaving the infirmary._

_Ron turned to Madam Pomfrey and asked, "Is there anything you can do?_

_Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly and said, "I'm sorry my dears. All that we can do now is just to wait for her to wake up on her own."_

_Harry and Ron looked at each other, grabbed a chair each, and sat on either side of Hermione's bed. "Then we'll just sit here and wait for her to wake up," Ron said, making himself comfortable. Harry conjured up some magazines and tossed one to Ron._

_Madam Pomfrey looked like she was going to protest but she just sighed and said, "Alright, just inform me when she wakes up."_

_Both men nodded and settled back into their seats, waiting for their friend to wake up._

_~ * ~_

"But I'm not a seer. How can I get visions?" Hermione said, sceptically.

"We don't know Hermione. That's what Madam Pomfrey said. Do you remember any of what you saw?" Ron said.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything from the visions that I was supposedly having," she said as she swung her legs off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, staring at her legs.

"To the little witch's room, silly."

As she made her way to the bathroom, Ron couldn't tear his eyes away from her legs. He loved the way they move and look, so graceful, creamy and long. He didn't realise that Harry saw him staring at Hermione's legs until he heard Harry say, "Hermione's got a nice pair of legs doesn't she?"

"Yes, I mean No! I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about," Ron said, his face going red.

Harry's smile widened and he continued to tease Ron. "Oh please! I saw you Ronald Weasley. You jaw dropped when she sat on the edge of the bed. I thought your tongue was going to loll out of you pie hole any minute. Why don't you just tell her you like her and ask her out?"

"I don't like her that way," Ron protested.

"Yeah right and I'm the Queen of England."

"What are you guys arguing about?" Hermione asked when she came back from the bathroom.

"Ron likes -" Harry's sentence was cut short by Ron's hand over his mouth.

"Chocolate ice-cream," Ron continued for him, smiling a little too brightly.

Hermione gave her two friends a strange look before she got into bed. She patted the area under her pillow and around her bed as if looking for something, causing Dhyana to ask, "What are you looking for Hermione?"

"My dagger, the one that was strapped to my leg. Have you seen it?"

"It's in here," Dhyana said, pulling the drawer of the side tab out and handing her the dagger. Hermione smiled thankfully at her and placed the dagger under her pillow. She looked up from the bed and found Ron holding Harry in a headlock. She was about to say something to them when the infirmary door opened and Headmistress McGonagall walked in with Dobby on tow, carrying a tray laden with food.

"It's good to see you awake Hermione. As you have not eaten since Halloween, I have sent up a tray for you. I will take over your classes while you rest and recuperate. I also brought a message from Albus who wants me to tell you to come visit him when you feel better. You eat and rest now," the Headmistress said, before leaving.

Dobby placed the tray on the table and launched himself at Harry, latching onto his leg for dear life. Everyone laughed at Harry's predicament, especially when he had to limp out of the infirmary with a house elf on his leg. He came back a few minutes later looking very relieved, causing the rest of them to burst out laughing. Once all of them had calmed down, they sat by Hermione's bed, keeping her company while she ate. Occasionally, they would pinch something off her plate as they filled her in on the going ons at Hogwarts the past two days.

"That was a great lunch," Hermione said, pushing her plate away. She sighed with satisfaction and picked up the Daily Prophet that came with the food tray. She flipped through the pages, scanning the headlines when a story caught her eye. The story had picture of a young woman smiling and waving at her and the headlines read, '_Girl missing for two days, parents worried._' She read the article and the vision she had came rushing back to her.

Ron realised that something was wrong when Hermione went very still and her face was pale when she put the paper down. "What's wrong Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione placed the paper on the bed and with a trembling finger, pointed to the article that shook her. "I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered, rushing to the bathroom.

The men could hear her throwing up her lunch and they looked at each other worriedly. A few minutes later, Hermione stepped out of the bathroom with Dhyana's assistance, still looking very pale. Once she was back in bed, she ran her shaky hands rough her hair and took a deep breath.

"Hermione, tell us what's wrong. You looking very pale," Harry said.

"I think Madam Pomfrey was right. I think I had a vision and I don't think it was the first time," she said quietly.

"What do you mean Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Remember the nightmare I had a few weeks back?" she asked. When everyone nodded, she continued, "I saw the same thing again last night. This time it was the young woman in the paper that was sacrificed." She told them about her vision in as much detail as she could; ending with how the body of the girl was disposed off.

"What do I do now? Would people believe me if I old them what I saw?" she asked her friends.

"Why don't you talk to Professor Dumbledore about it? You're going to visit him right?" Dhyana asked.

"That's a good idea actually. Why don't we go with you? We haven't visited him since we came back," Harry said. Both Hermione and Ron nodded with agreement and Hermione promised to cal them when she was going to go visit the former headmaster.

Madam Pomfrey came in as Hermione yawned. She took Hermione's temperature and looked in her eyes before declaring that Hermione needed her rest. The three professors were shooed out of the infirmary and as the door closed, Ron saw Hermione giving him a small smile. He waved at her and left, smiling the rest of the day.

Hermione was released from the infirmary two days after she woke up and spent the rest of the time in her room, reading her books and listening to her CDs. Ron would keep her company after dinner by playing chess or just talk until late at night. Even though they had known each other since they were eleven but the more time they spent together, the better Ron and Hermione knew each other and Hermione liked what she saw in Ron. Not only does Ron have a good sense of humour, he was no longer the ignorant, silly boy she knew in school. She found Ron to be intelligent and had developed a love for books that could rival Hermione's. The nights that weren't playing chess were spent discussing books that they both had read and sometimes even arguing about it. Hermione found those conversations very stimulating and refreshing and she loved those times.

A week after the Halloween incident, Hermione was getting bored with inactivity. She decided to visit Dumbledore and talk to him about her visions. She had talked to both Harry and Ron and was pleased that they were both free that Saturday, so she sent an owl to the former headmaster early that morning to find out if he was free. The reply owl had come back an hour later saying that he was looking forward to see them soon. After lunch, the three of them informed the Headmistress that they were going to Godric's Cottage, where Albus Dumbledore was staying after his retirement. 

They were greeted by Dumbledore himself when they arrived at his cottage at two. He was pleasantly surprised when he was presented with a bag of sherbet lemons, his favourite. They sat taking about non-consequential things and caught up with what the three friends had been up to since their graduation from Hogwarts. They stayed for about three hours before taking their leave. As they were about to leave, Dumbledore told Hermione to wait a few minutes as he had something that would interest her very much. He took a leather bound book from his shelf and handed it too her. She read the title, _Ancient Daggers and Their Makers_, and smiled.

"I've been meaning to do some research on my dagger. Thank you for the book, sir," she said.

"I think you're going to need it more than I do. It'll help steer you in the right direction," he said with his eyes twinkling mysteriously.

"If you say so sir. Thank you," she said, before leaving, totally forgetting that she waned to talk about her visions.

Harry and Ron were waiting for her outside, brooms ready for the trip back to Hogwarts. Hermione secured her cloak on, got on in front of Ron and tried to get comfortable.

"I still don't understand why you wont let me bring my own broom Harry. I can fly relatively well, after all that training sessions you guys drilled into me during the summers at The Burrow," she said, holding onto the broom tightly as they got ready to take off.

"I just thought that it would be much faster this way," he said, trying to hide his smile. He could see that his two best friends had feelings for each other and he just wanted to push them in the right direction.

Ron made sure that Hermione was secured on the broom and he wrapped his arm around her waist to secure her even more. With a gently kick, they got off the ground and flew back to Hogwarts. It took them fifteen minutes to fly back as the weather was fine and the winds weren't strong. They landed right in front of the front door and made their way back to their tower.

"Why did Dumbledore want to give you?" Ron asked.

"Oh, he just wanted to give me a book on ancient daggers. I've wanted to do some research on my dagger but I haven't had the time. He also said something very cryptic though," she said.

"Really?" Harry said. 

"Yeah. He said that the book would steer me in the right direction. I have no idea what it means."

"It's aright. I'm sure that the meaning will make itself known in it's own time," Harry said.

"Yeah I guess so. I'll see you guys at dinner then," she said as she went up to her quarters, thinking that a nice warm shower before dinner would soothe her tired muscles.

After dinner, Hermione went back to her rooms to get started on the book that Dumbledore had given her. She sat on her bed and flipped through the pages, looking at the diagrams. It wasn't until about halfway through the book that she stopped. The page had a diagram of her dagger and a description of it.

_Althea, Dagger of Lady of the __Lake___

_This dagger was forged for Morgaine Le Fay, who was the High Priestess of the Goddess of Avalon. She was also known as the Lady of the __Lake__. The blade's core contains the hair of a unicorn entwined with the hair of a mermaid from the lake surrounding Avalon. This dagger was used in sacrificing offerings to the Goddess as well as a wand. Due to its unique magical core, only the women of the Le Fay family or a very powerful witch can wield it. The dagger was said to pick its Mistress by only revealing itself to the select few. The last known owner of the dagger was Marianne Le Fay, the 37th generation of the Lady of the __Lake__. After her death, the dagger disappeared and was never found._

"That was interesting. How can I, a muggle-born witch, be chosen to be the new Mistress of a dagger the belonged to the Lady of the Lake? I'll need to do some research on the Le Fay family," she said to herself. She closed the book and placed it on the bedside table. She snuggled into the covers and closed her eyes, still thinking about the dagger as she drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Thanks for al the reviews that I received. This isn't one of my best written chapters but I had scrapped two versions of this chapter before I managed to come up with this one. I hope that you will like it. Please review because I really love hearing what you think about the story. 


	7. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hey All, especially Snappish79! I haven't updated this story in quite sometime due to a mental block. I don't think this is a __good__ chapter but please read it anyway and tell me what you think about it. Thanks! __J___

**Hermione's Dagger Chapter 5******

It was Hogsmeade weekend and all the third years and above, were already boarding the carriages. Ron, Hermione and Dhyana were waiting by the main door for Harry, who was late. A few minutes later, Harry appeared with a slice of toast in between his teeth and tucking his shirt into the bands of his pants. His hair was still dripping wet and sticking to the nape of his neck.

"Sorry I'm late. My alarm clock died some time during the night and I only woke up when Dhyana knocked on my door," Harry said as they got into the carriage. Dhyana casted a drying charm at is hair and Ron handed him a comb. When they reached Hogsmeade, Harry's tummy was rumbling loudly as the toast only whetted his appetite. He dragged his three friends over to the coffee joint that had opened at Hogsmeade a few years back. 

The girls sat themselves down at the sofa at the corner and chatted about their students, their work and other girl stuff while they waited for the guys to bring their coffee. Just then, Hermione felt a prickly feeling at the back of her neck, as if some one was staring at her. She looked up and found a handsome stranger, black hair and onyx eyes, staring at her intently with a feral smile on his face. The stranger made her feel a little uncomfortable. She quickly cut off the eye contact and sighed with relief when the men came back with their drinks. Through out the thirty minutes that they were there, Hermione could feel the man still staring at her and she refused to look up from her coffee mug, not wanting to catch the man's eye again. Hermione almost jumped up with joy when Harry said that he was done having breakfast. As they were leaving, Hermione caught a glimpse of a pale scar on the man's face but quickly looked away when she saw that the man was smiling at her again.

~

Seth's eyes followed Hermione's every movement as she left the coffee joint. _Marianne, you're more beautiful than you were 300 years ago_, he thought to himself. Her thick bronze hair bounced with every step she took and made him want to run his fingers through them. _I will find out who you are in this lifetime and we'll be together._ He growled audibly, causing the witch who was about to sit down in the next table to get up and find a new seat, when he was Ron placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders and dragged her to the Quidditch supply shop. _After I find out who you are, I'll get rid of that red haired git __because no one will get between us__._ His lips formed a smirk that could rival Malfoy's as he began plotting Ron's demise.

~

After spending about twenty minutes in the Quidditch shop where both Harry and Ron were ogling and fawning over the new Firebolt model, Hermione and Dhyana managed to sneak away to Flourish & Blotts. Hermione sighed with relief once they were in the bookstore.

"Finally! I thought I'll never get out of there," Hermione exclaimed.

"How long do you think they'll realise that we're gone and come looking for us?" Dhyana asked, slightly worried.

"About another twenty minutes. Don't worry; they both know that I'm here. We've been doing this since our third year, so don't worry."

Having assured her friend, they both went to separate bookshelves as they waited for the men to find them. Just as Hermione predicted, Ron and Harry came to look for them at the bookstore twenty minutes later. Hermione was so engrossed in her book that she didn't realise that her two best friends were standing over her.

"Hey Hermione! Watcha doin?" Ron asked as he straddled the bench she was seating on, startling her into dropping her book.

"Oh My God! Ron, don't do that!" she exclaimed, picking up the book that she dropped.

"Hermione, we've been standing here looking at you read the book for the past five minutes and you didn't even notice," Harry said. "By the way, here's Dhyana?"

"I think she's some where over there?" Hermione said, waving her hands vaguely in the general direction of the law section. Harry went off in search of the Care for Magical Creatures professor, leaving Ron and Hermione alone. She turned to Ron to ask him what he got at the Quidditch shop but she found him staring at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. "Ron. Ron. Ron!" 

"What- What?" Ron asked, his eyes snapped into focus at her face.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful and I want to kiss you."

Before Hermione could respond to his comment, Ron leaned forward and captured her lips with his. He felt her stiffen a little before responding to the kiss. Her lips were soft and tasted like mints. When the kiss ended, he brushed away a stray lock of hair away from her face and caressed her cheek gently. He looked into her eyes and willed her to say something but when she looked away, he felt his heart drop.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he said softly. He tried to turn away from her but her arm stopped him.

"Ron I …" Hermione started but the arrival of Harry and Dhyana interrupted her.

"So, are we ready for lunch?" Harry asked his friends brightly, not knowing what he interrupted.

"Yeah sure, I'll just go pay for this," Hermione mumbled and went to the cashiers. 

Lunch at the Three Broomsticks was quiet and awkward. Both Harry and Dhyana kept looking at Hermione and Ron as they weren't talking and just pushing food around their plate. All the attempts at conversation fell flat as neither Hermione nor Ron attempted to contribute to the topic. 

After the plates were cleared, Ron and Harry went to settle the bill. Dhyana had to go to the ladies so Hermione waited for her three friends outside of the pub. She leaned against the wall and her mind drifted back to the kiss in the bookstore. Hermione was so caught up in analyzing her feelings and thoughts on the kiss that she didn't realise that someone had walked up behind her. The tap on the shoulder startled her. She let out a squeak and whipped around to find her face to face with the handsome stranger from the coffee place. The uneasy feeling she had, returned five fold. 

"Hi, I'm Seth. Seth Kane. I think I saw you at the coffee place this morning right?" said the man.

"Yes. I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you," Hermione said, shaking his hand and giving him a polite smile. Please hurry up guys, she thought, not wanting to be alone with Seth any more than she had too.

"So, what do you do?" he asked.

"I teach charms at Hogwarts. What about you?"

"A little of this, a little of that," he said vaguely.

"I see," Hermione said, smiling politely. She turned to look at the door of the pub and mentally wishing her friends would just hurry up.

Noticing her impatience, he asked, "Waiting for someone?" 

"My friends." Just then, to Hermione's relief, Ron stepped out of the pub. "My boyfriend is here. It's nice to meet you," Hermione said and gave him a small smile before going over to Ron. As Hermione turned, Seth's face contorted into a mask of rage and his clenched fist glowed subtly with power. _I will kill him slowly and painfully_, Seth thought as he watched Hermione took Ron's hand and led him away.

"Ron, let's go back to Hogwarts. I don't want to stay here anymore," Hermione said softly pulling Ron towards the carriages.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

"I'll explain on the way back. Please, can we go back?"

Seeing her urgency, Ron followed her to the carriages and got in after her. He heard Hermione let out a sigh of relief once the carriage started moving out of Hogsmeade. 

"Hermione, tell me what's wrong? Why were you so anxious to leave?" 

Hermione proceeded to tell him about the man that was staring at her that morning. She shuddered as she remembered his eyes and the way he looked at her. 

"He didn't try anything right?" Ron asked.

"No. He didn't do anything," she whispered.

"That's good because if we did, I might turn this carriage back so that I can pound his face to the ground."

"It's alright Ron. Thanks for accompanying me back."

"No problem."

The rest of the ride back to the school was silent, each staring out of the window entertaining their own thoughts. When the carriage stopped, Ron helped Hermione down from the carriage and they walked back to their quarters together. Ron accompanied Hermione to her door and he mumbled a goodbye before walking away. For the second time that day, Hermione stopped him from leaving by grabbing his arm. Ron turned to face her slowly with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. Hermione cupped his face gently with her hand and leaned up to kiss him gently on his lips.

"Ron, I don't want you to be sorry for the kiss you gave me earlier today. I would be lying if I told you that I hadn't thought about kissing you this pass few months. I'm not sure how this will change our friendship but I want to find out," she said softly when she ended the kiss.

"So do I Hermione. So do I," he replied as he bent down to kiss her once more.


End file.
